Category Archives: Personal

Stuff that doesn’t fit elsewhere, or is specific to what I do and where I live.

Update, or a missing person report

Posted on January 31, 2016 by Ethan

I just received a kind inquiry via email from a reader who wondered what had happened to this blog. It’s a fair question. It’s been a challenging few months, professionally and personally, and I’ve been less productive than I would … Continue reading →

Posted in Personal | 1 Comment

Three selfies, and two appreciations of fellow travellers

Posted on December 2, 2014 by Ethan

I took the fall semester off from teaching, which is a good thing, as I’ve been traveling far more than is healthy, mostly to give talks. I was in Sao Paulo last week talking about Brazil role as a center … Continue reading →

Posted in Media, Personal | Comments Off on Three selfies, and two appreciations of fellow travellers

Williams Convocation Address: “Bibliolarceny and the Size of the Universe”

Posted on September 21, 2014 by Ethan

My alma mater, Williams College, begins the academic year with a convocation, a ceremony for seniors, faculty and a small number of alumni who are being honored with the college’s Bicentennial medal, an award for “distinguished achievement in any field … Continue reading →

Posted in ideas, Personal | 7 Comments

Life, only moderately messed up: understanding (my own) high-functioning depression

Posted on July 8, 2014 by Ethan

My wife is one of the bravest people I know. Almost six years ago, Rachel got pregnant. When we found out, she was in Colorado and I was home in western Massachusetts, and in phone calls and emails we giddily … Continue reading →

Posted in Personal | 34 Comments

Lessons learned from walking at work

Posted on June 10, 2014 by Ethan

MIT’s commencement was Friday, and (despite the fact that most of my Masters students are continuing to work on their theses over the summer) my official summer began yesterday. Yes, I’m looking forward to catching up on reading, not driving … Continue reading →

Posted in Personal | 4 Comments

Rest in peace, Teresa Peters

Posted on January 14, 2014 by Ethan

I got an email from an old friend today, the sort of mass email we send our friends and colleagues to update each other on our lives and goings on. I didn’t make it past the first line, because he … Continue reading →

Posted in Africa, Personal | 3 Comments

An anniversary, a reflection

Posted on November 13, 2013 by Ethan

My wife, the remarkable Velveteen Rabbi, just announced her 10 year blogiversary, a decade since her first post about her journeys in spirituality, from a layperson who thought, read and spoke about liberal judaism and social change, to rabbinic student, … Continue reading →

Posted in Personal | 3 Comments

On MIT’s report on Aaron Swartz’s prosecution

Posted on August 6, 2013 by Ethan

Hal Abelson’s report on MIT’s actions around Aaron Swartz’s prosecution was released last week. I was on vacation and offline – I returned home Sunday and read the report and some of the responses to it. I certainly see why … Continue reading →

Posted in Media Lab, Personal | 8 Comments

See you in a couple of weeks

Posted on July 27, 2013 by Ethan

I’m on vacation for the next two weeks, taking a break from a long stretch of writing and talking about Rewire and related issues. I should be back online around August 10. In the unlikely event you find yourself missing … Continue reading →

Posted in Media, Personal | Comments Off on See you in a couple of weeks

The Launch of Rewire

Posted on June 20, 2013 by Ethan

Rewire officially launched Monday, and I’ve had the chance to do a couple of radio interviews about the book, with Anthony Brooks at Radio Boston and with Brian Lehrer on his show on WNYC. I had great fun with both … Continue reading →

Posted in ideas, Personal | 1 Comment